True Story
by wintryone
Summary: Dragon Age 2, Varric style. A unique perspective of the Champion of Kirkwall through the pen of our favorite dwarf. Varric is best friends with Mariah Hawke, the Ferelden apostate refugee who made her way to fame and fortune. Lots of romance and exaggeration, purely for dramatic effect. *ON HIATUS*
1. Prologue

_A/N I brainstormed the idea for this story with Fenzev the other night, and she kindly gave me permission to borrow the way she does her play-throughs for Dearest Father (a story I love so much). It won't be a copycat, but more 'in the spirit of' - using a very singular perspective to translate the events of DA2. It was a lot of fun coming up with the premise of Varric as narrator, and a Hawke who I think is going to be incredibly fun to write. Thanks as always, my friend :)_

_The plan is to release one chapter per week and just enjoy the process. You all know how much I love writing Varric, so I'm excited! Expect a lot of exaggeration and a very flirty Hawke ;)_

_Update: The Cover Art of our favorite dwarf is by HikariYagami22 drawn especially for this story! Thank you so much!_

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**Prologue**

Should I begin at the end? Or end at the beginning? That's the problem with being a storyteller, setting just the right pace to hook your readers and spin the best tale.

My name is Varric Tethras, and that's what I do – what I've always done - tell stories. But I have to tell you, there's only one that I've ever literally witnessed first hand, and that's the one I'm about to tell you now. It's the tale of Mariah Hawke, a Ferelden refugee who rose to greatness in the fair city of Kirkwall.

What? You thought her name was Marian Hawke, didn't you? Well, I can assure you that's not the case. The confusion was the fault of some nug-brained scribe who confused _H_ with _N_. Hehe. Believe me, you can trust me on this one.

Hawke had a few adventures before she met me, of course. Escaping the Blight in Ferelden was no small feat, and I'm sorry to tell you that Hawke's sister Bethany didn't make it out alive. But, from what I understand, Hawke pretty much ripped the head of the ogre that killed her sister - and with her bare hands.

What? You've heard Hawke is a mage? And maybe you're wondering how a mage has such big, strong hands? Well yes, it's true she's a mage. An apostate mage, to be exact. And her hands are normally sized, if a bit slender of the finger. Let me tell you though, I've seen her do a thing or two a lot more impressive that ripping an ogre's head off. In Hawke's world, that sort of stuff happens every day.

You may have also heard that Hawke flew to Kirkwall on the back of a dragon. I won't shoot down that particular rumor, not for all the lyrium in the Deep Roads. What you may _not_ know was that dragon had a name - Flemeth. Have you heard of her? Well, killing that ogre is how Hawke got Flemth's attention, and I'm still not sure that's a good thing. I've heard so many conflicting stories about the Witch of the Wilds, as she's sometimes called, that even I don't know what the true story is there. Let's just say she might be an old god, or some super-powerful demon, or maybe she's just, and I quote, "A very, very old woman."

Exactly how Flemeth managed to rescue Hawke, her mother Leandra, her brother Carver, and a soldier they met along the way named Aveline Vallen, is a matter of much speculation. I suggest you use your imagination - that's generally what I do.

One last thing about their escape and subsequent removal to Kirkwall. Aveline was married to a Templar named Wesley, who was tainted by the Darkspawn and died before they escaped Ferelden. Aveline has always insisted that she put her husband to the blade herself, but the way Hawke rolls her eyes whenever she says that, well - let's just say it's still open for debate in my book.

Turned out once their ship landed in the Gallows, the gates were closed, and Leandra's brother Gamlen had lost the family fortune, investing in cheese futures, or so I've heard. The grand and sumptuous Amell Estate ended up in the hands of Tevinter slavers, and so when Hawke's family showed up in Kirkwall, there was no noble ancestral home waiting for them.

The result was, Hawke was forced to sell herself in servitude for an entire year to buy her way into the city. As much as Carver liked that old coot Meeran of the Red Iron, Hawke chose to work for a small time smuggler named Athenril. I've always speculated about Hawke's motivations on that one, too - did she chose the elf over the mercenary to spite Carver? Or was it because she thought Athenril was "cute." Hehe. You'll find out as we go along just how many people Hawke uses that particular word to describe.

A boring year of small time smuggling has no place in this story. The next interesting bit is the day I met Hawke, but I'll save that for the next segment. I warn you, though, I am well known for my hyperbolic skills, hehe.

Let me end this beginning by telling you a few more things about our illustrious leader. Hawke's got a mess of dark red hair on her head, and I don't think she has ever bothered to put a comb through it. It flies about like it has a life of its own. Her eyes are best described as of the "bedroom" variety, but there's this light in them that reminds me of daffodils when they first open their blooms in the spring. To put it bluntly, Hawke is the oddest mixture of innocently sexy and blusteringly brave that I've ever met.

On any given day, you never know which Hawke you might be dealing with.

One last bit of trivia: Never call her Mariah. Things will get ugly fast.

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_Thanks also to Fenzev for the beta :) _

_Leave me a note if you likey!_


	2. Chapter One - In the Beginning

**PREFACE: Yeah, yeah I know. I already wrote a prologue, but this is a **_**preface**_**, because there are a few things I need to tell you before you begin reading this tale. **

**Occasionally, as I have edited this story, my future self has added notes. Said notes will be in brackets, like this - [Andraste's ass, Hawke pulled a fast one that time. VT]**

**Once in awhile, Hawke herself scribbled in this book. Her comments have fancy brackets like this - {Varric, you know that is not how it happened. H.}**

**Last thing? I've created a little box at the bottom of each chapter, where you, dear reader, can add your own comments. Believe it or not, I'd like to hear what you have to say about this fantastical story, hehe. Feel free to write anything you want! Short and sweet, or a long treatise about my writing ability, whatever tickles your fancy.**

**Thank you, my friends, for reading.**

_**V.T.**_

₪ **Chapter One - In The Beginning **₪

✎ _**Meeting Hawke and Junior**_

I am an excellent lurker. I don't have the kind of skill Rivaini has when it comes to sneaking around, but I can _stand_ around and look nonchalant with the best of them. That happens to be exactly what I was doing the day Hawke and Carver tried to convince my brother to hire them on for his Deep Roads Expedition.

Most days my brother Bartrand is an insufferable prig, and this one was no exception. I watched from a distance as Hawke did her best to charm him. I couldn't hear a word, mind you, but her body language could have converted a chantry brother - apparently not, however, a Tethras brother, hehe. When I heard Bartrand call Carver, _precious_, I knew that my short-sighted brother had just made the biggest mistake of his life.

It was my intention to rectify that little error.

Hawke had an impressive reputation in Kirkwall, even after only a year as a small time smuggler. Add to that, I'm an excellent judge of character. Yet, I needed to see her up close - talk to her. Talking is another skill I've mastered, and as it happens, I do quite a lot of it.

It was easy enough to get her attention in the end. A cutpurse, a perfectly aimed bolt from Bianca, and a coin pouch returned to my quarry - the perfect opportunity.

"Varric Tethras, at your service," I said, which is my standard greeting. I opened my mouth to say more, but then I got my first good look at Hawke, and got no further than "Messere," even though I had a whole line of persuasive conversation on the tip of my tongue.

"I'm Hawke," she said, in what was merely a pleasant voice. It was a _nice_ voice, a bit lyrical, but nothing to send shivers down your spine or anything. That's not what stopped the words in my throat. The way her mouth moved when she spoke, had the power to mesmerize a person. Just watching the way her lips slid over her teeth and the way she used her tongue to emphasize certain sounds... It's hard to explain, so trust me on this one. Her eyes were no less captivating, the way they tilted slightly downward above her cheekbones, and seemed to shine with an inner light, like the color of the morning sun. They also pretty much seemed to be looking at you as if you were naked, and as if she _liked_ what she saw. Not kidding.

"You are completely adorable," she said to me. She placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward just a wee bit, giving me an excellent view of her very respectable cleavage. Heh em. Yes. The memory of that first meeting lingers, still.

"Sister," Carver complained. "Don't you ever stop? This one's another dwarf, and you already struck out with that one." Her brother glanced back over his shoulder at Bartrand.

It was time I spoke up, or this new potential business partner of mine would think I was an idiot dwarf, to say the least. "That one," I said gesturing to Bartrand, "is my brother, and unfortunately he wouldn't know an opportunity if it hit him in the jaw."

That made Hawke giggle, and she said, "But you would?" The way she said that? It implied a lot more than a simple _opportunity_.

Suffice it to say, it wasn't long before Hawke and I shook hands and agreed to meet later at the Hanged Man to discuss further arrangements. For now, I had decided to tag along with these two. They were going to the Viscounts' Keep to look up an old friend who might have some work for them. And no, it had nothing to do with the way her hips swayed beneath her robes as I followed her. I am a gentleman, I'll have you know. Mostly.

"I've always wanted to go to the Hanged Man," she told me as we rounded the corner and came to the long stairs that led to the keep. "But Carver wouldn't go with me. He's always dragging me off to the Rose for drinks."

"The Rose? For _drinks_?" I asked.

Hawke stopped and laughed. "Look at me, Messere Varric Tethras." She splayed her fingers and passed them over her breasts and hips. "Do I look like I need to pay for anything else?"

No. She most certainly didn't.

"Madam Rosine is always trying to hire her," Carver said. It was about then that I started to notice that everything Junior Hawke said came out sounding either whiny or surly. Sometimes both.

"Don't care for that line of work, Hawke?" I asked her straight up.

I was surprised when Junior got angry. "My sister is a flirt, not a whore, dwarf."

"Carver!" Hawke said and wrapped an arm around her brother's neck. "Be nice to the adorable dwarf, he didn't mean anything by it, I'm sure."

To my surprise Carver's expression softened as he looked down at his sister. He shook his head slowly as if he were surprised, himself.

I bowed in Hawke's direction. "Never, milady," I told her sincerely, and thankfully she laughed again.

Lesson learned.

✎ _**A Stodgy Guard and A Glimpse of a Prince**_

The thing about Aveline Valen is, well, she's boring. Even Hawke was stiffing yawns as the guardswoman droned on and on about... Andraste'a ass, I really have no idea what she said.

I do remember Hawke's face when Aveline said, "Your brother's a bit of a tit, isn't he?"

That wiped away her vacant expression in a hurry. Her eyes narrowed and her lips thinned, and I swear I saw sparks forming around the tips of her fingers. After only a few hours in their company, I was learning quickly that the Hawke siblings might be quick to trade barbs with each other, but Maker, neither one of them liked it when it was someone else doing the insulting.

We at least got a job out of it, though. Ah! Now I remember! Something about bandits, that was it. I admit, I sort of felt sorry for Hawke when she told me about being cooped up in a ship's hold with Aveline all the way from Ferelden.

After we left the keep, we wandered aimlessly around Hightown for hours. [Hawke ended up doing this so often, I came to call them her 'Inspections,' hehe. VT] Hawke, well she's a horrible eavesdropper. I don't know what she found interesting about the inane chatter of the nobles wandering around the streets, but she strolled around like she owned the place, even when some fancy noblewoman remarked as we passed, "I thought the refugees were keeping to Lowtown."

She took it all in stride, didn't blink an eye, until...

"Refugees. They're like rats."

That, from a guard we passed not far from the Blooming Rose.

Hawke froze.

Carver said, "Uh oh."

I was suddenly very interested in what would happen next.

With a grace I've seen equalled by few in my life, Hawke turned and approached the guard. I noticed Carver kept his distance, so I wisely followed his lead.

"Did I hear you right?" Hawke asked in a deceptively sweet voice. "There's a _rat_ problem in Hightown?"

"Oi, move along," said the guard, but he sounded unsure of himself.

"If there is a rat problem, I could help you with that," she said, and again, I saw pretty little sparks flickering around her fingertips.

The guard looked around nervously, I'm guessing for some help in dealing with the not so downtrodden refugee. "Look here...," he began.

In the blink of an eye, Hawke grabbed the man's wrist, and I watched, biting the inside of my cheek the whole to keep from laughing, as his helmet flew off of his head. But that wasn't the funniest part. What finally made me laugh out loud was when his hair stood straight up as if there were a patch of red grass on his pate instead of hair.

So, my new friend had a preference for primal magic... very interesting.

Beside me, Carver muttered, "She's going to bring the Templars down on us with her tricks."

"Relax, Junior," I said. "Not a Templar in sight." But I'll admit, I was somewhat surprised when the guard scrambled for his helmet, put it back on his head and seemed to pretend Hawke wasn't even there. Just what kind of magic was she using?

"Let's go," she said with a satisfied smile on her face.

I could only shake my head and follow her.

Our next stop was the Chantry Courtyard, and as it so happens, we walked in on quite the little drama.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Hawke. "Cutest guy ever!"

The 'cute guy' was saying, "...what happened to my _family_ was murder," to a woman in very fancy Chantry robes.

"And intense," said Hawke. "Yummy."

"Sister..." Carver said in warning tones.

"Hush Carver," said Hawke, as she attempted to overhear the rest of the argument.

But it was too late. Suddenly the _cutie_ in the white armor had drawn his bow and shot an arrow through a parchment, which just happened to be held aloft in the woman's hand. Suddenly, there was a new notice on the Chanter's board.

"And a very good shot," Hawke murmured.

As the shiny man brushed by us and stalked out of the courtyard, I half expected Hawke to follow him. Instead, she quickly read the parchment, and proceeded to follow the robed lady.

"It'll be the Gallows for us, yet," muttered Carver, but I noticed he followed his sister up the Chantry steps without hesitation.

Hawke played the sweet and innocent so well, at first I couldn't figure out if it was an act, or if it was genuine. The way she ingratiated herself with the Chantry lady, who - get this - turned out to be Grand Cleric Elthina, was either a performance worthy of an Orlais theatre, or Hawke was a study in contradictions.

"Sebastian? Was that his name?" she asked the Grand Cleric in an easy manner.

Elthina began to explain Sebastian's history and background to us, with a worried look on her wrinkled face.

Then Hawke asked, "So he's some kind of a priest?" and she couldn't hide her disappointment. Don't worry, her rueful expression didn't last long, however, because Hawke's voice nearly squeaked when Elthina mentioned Sebastian Vael was also the Prince of Starkhaven, heir to the throne.

"Royalty?" she said with a hand to her throat, and I was surprised that instead of a gleam of avarice in her eyes, instead, I saw a hint of fear. What was that about?

It wasn't long before we called it a day, with promises to meet at the Hanged Man later that night.

Yes, my new partner was certainly intriguing, and very much an enigma to me.

Good thing I love a mystery, hehe.


	3. Chapter Two - Remembrance of Things Past

**Chapter Two - Remembrance of Things Past ₪ **

✎ _**Carver Spills It**_

When Hawke and Carver showed up at the Hanged Man that night, Hawke had two rolled parchments in her hand. One looked as if it had been balled up into a wad and then re-rolled. The other, smaller parchment, Hawke spread out on the table in front of me.

"This makes three jobs offers so far," she said. "What do you think of this one, Varric?"

I glanced down and read the request: Meet someone named Anso, who needed to recover some stolen property, near the Lowtown market tonight. "Worth looking into," I said. "Coin is coin."

Hawke glanced around the bar. "We have an hour to kill before we meet him," she said. "See you boys later." And she sauntered off toward a group of well-armed mercenaries.

I looked at Carver with a raised eyebrow.

"What can I say? My sister is the social type," he said with a shrug.

"So, Junior..." I began.

"Don't call me that," Carver complained.

I merely grinned. "I wanted to ask you, what was that all about? You know, at the Chantry." I was thinking of the wrinkled parchment Hawke hadn't shown me, and how much it looked like that notice from the Chanter's Board.

"I don't know what you mean," he replied with a frown.

"Then I'll spell it out for you," I said easily. "At the mention of _royalty_, a look of abject horror crossed your sister's face."

"Leave it alone, dwarf," he said, and his frown deepened. It became a pretty impressive scowl, actually.

"Not likely," I said with a chuckle. Norah, the barmaid, fortuitously arrived with a tray of pints right then. "Have a drink and tell me a story."

Carver glanced over at his sister, where she stood chatting up the soldiers. "She'd kill me."

"My lips are sealed," I said sincerely, while at the same time I crossed my fingers under the table. What? Lying is part of the storytelling trade.

He eyed me speculatively as he took a long pull from his mug. "It's old news, anyway," he said.

"News is news, messere," I told him. Notice the honorific? Hehe. Remember that - flattery always loosens people's tongues.

In the end, I'm not sure why he decided to tell me. It might have had something to do with how Carver really was jealous of his sister. She tended to get all the attention, and all the credit. Maybe this was his little bit of revenge, who knows?

It turned out to be a juicy story, and went something like this, in Carver's words, as best as I can remember them.

_When the call came from King Cailan for soldiers to rally at Ostagar against the darkspawn horde, I set out the very next morning. My sisters would stay in Lothering, both because they were apostates, and because they weren't soldiers. The King hadn't asked for mages, you see, only fighters with weapons. Mother wouldn't have let either one of them go, anyway, and Father was dead a few years by then. Mariah used to have Father wrapped around her little finger, like she did with most men. I probably shouldn't tell you that, dwarf, but it's important to what happened._

_From what I've said, and what little you've seen, you'd think my sister would have bedded most of the men in Lothering by then, but that's not the way it was. She loved to flirt, to dally, but never let anyone too close. It's just how she is... and how she's always been._

_It's about a three day march to Ostagar from Lothering along the Imperial Highway, and I'd met a few other soldier-types on their way to defend their country from the darkspawn horde. I can't even remember their names now, but I think there were about five of us when we camped that second night. Two of them were rogues, with their sharp little knives and shifty eyes. I've never been very fond of that sort, but blades were blades and all were needed. One of the fellows was from the north, lived up in the Bannorn somewhere. Well, he went off to try to snare a rabbit for our dinner, but it wasn't long before he came back, with my sister in his greedy little grasp._

"_Look what I found, boys," he said. I think his name was Jared, or Janed or something. _

_I stood up, but didn't say anything, waiting to see how this would go. If these men decided to start something, it would be two against four. Not the best odds, but I'd have taken them if I had to. You haven't seen her in action yet, but Mariah's got more mana in her little finger than most mages do in their whole bodies. So I knew she'd be some help._

_To make a long story short, this Jared person thought it was a good idea to have a little fun with Mariah, and then turn her into the Templars for a nice reward. I hadn't let on that she was my sister yet. I wanted to know how the others would reaction to the sneak's nasty little plan. _

_That time luck was on our side, because it turned out the others were more honorable men than you'd expect to find out on the road. Jared, well, he thought he'd just keep Mariah for himself, and started to drag her off. Maker, my sister decided to wink at me right then. She still thought it was all a game._

"_Hands off," I said, and drew my sword._

"_I found her," Jared said. "Finders keepers, them's the rules."_

"_Not when you've '_found'_ my sister, you bastard," I replied. _

_Jared opened his mouth, but I don't know what he would have said, because suddenly he was encased in ice. Mariah looked at him like he was a frozen worm, then she pushed him over, and he hit the ground with a dull thud._

_After that, the others didn't want anything to do with us. You know how people feel about apostates. So, Mariah and I decided to keep marching through the night and rest in the morning for a few hours. There was no taking her back to Lothering - I'd have never made it to Ostagar before the horde, and I knew she'd just find a way to follow me again. I know she seems all sweet and girly, but you've never met anyone more stubborn than my sister._

_Anyway, we finally made it to Ostagar, and the place was swarming with soldiers. Some were wearing the King's crest, but most of us had come from farms and small villages, and weren't well equipped. In the chaos, I lost track of Mariah, and it was dark by the time I had been assigned my battalion and issued a breastplate and a pair of greaves - it was all there was to spare in that wretched place. _

_When I finally found her, it was in an old, deserted part of the ruins. What I saw froze me in my tracks. _

"_I didn't mean..." my sister was saying._

_But the man who had ahold of her was having none of that. "I'll remind you that you sought me out, serah," he said as he continued to pulled her robes down over her shoulders. "And that I am your King." He was smiling pleasantly, as if they were both having fun. I honestly think he thought Mariah was playing, but I knew she was dead serious in her efforts to get away._

"_I just... just a kiss," she said._

_The man, who I now knew was King Cailan, laughed. "You've had your kiss, and now I'd like something for myself." _

_He wasn't being violent or abusive with her. It was more like he was using his greater strength to... well, I don't want to think about that. At least now I understood why Mariah hadn't used magic to make him stop. Maker, she'd gone and flirted with the King of Ferelden, and unlike the boys at home, he was a man used to getting whatever he wanted, which just happened to be my sister._

_I knew if I didn't move soon, I was going to see more of my sister's skin that I wanted to. I stepped from the shadows and cleared my throat - loudly._

"_Hello? Who's there?" asked the King as his head jerked around._

_It was just enough of a distraction that Mariah was able to pull away from Cailan, and she came running toward me. She threw herself in my arms, and though she didn't cry, she was trembling like a dab chick in the water._

"_Forgive me, Your Majesty," I said, doing my best to keep my voice even and respectful, when what I really wanted to do was hit the man upside his kingly head with the flat of my blade._

_I was surprised when he smiled at me and asked, "What is it you needed, serah?" _

"_I was sent to find this mage," I told him. "She's wanted back at the healing tents."_

_The King sighed and a look of disappointment crossed his handsome face. "Yes, I suppose that is important." He waved a hand at us and, as if my interruption was only a minor annoyance, before he turned back to the table where he'd been working. "Carry on."_

_When we were out of earshot, Mariah attempted to explain, but I cut her off. It's maybe the only time in our lives when she let me have my say._

"_Royalty is never refused, sister," I told her gruffly. "They get what they want... who they want, with no questions asked." _

{Don't forget to write about how I paid him back for this little indiscretion, Varric - H} [No worries, Hawke. It's coming - VT]

"So if you wanted to know why my sister was afraid at the mention of a royalty, there's your answer," he said. Carver seemed to be done with the tale, because he picked up his mug and drained it.

"But what happened to the two of you at Ostagar?" I asked. He didn't seriously think I would let that go, did he?

Carver briefly hung his head, before looking back up at me, and I swear there was a flush in his cheeks that I didn't think was from the ale.

"After I rescued my sister," he said, "well, we never stopped walking once we left the King."

"So the battle?" I asked.

"We were well on our way back to Lothering before the horde hit."

Hawke came drifting back over to the table then. "Time to go, gentlemen," she said with a cheeky smile.

✎ _**One Elf, With a Side of Broody **_

What do you think Hawke said when Anso first turned around from cowering against that Lowtown wall?

"You have the most beautiful blue eyes, ser dwarf." {Well, they were! - H}

Anso twittered and stumbled over his words, his beautiful eyes staring up at Hawke as if she were the Queen of Antiva. Carver was none too happy when Hawke agreed to search for Anso's stolen property, but personally? We needed coin and the silly dwarf could pay. End of decision.

Other than being waylaid by the usual nighttime thugs, we easily made our way to the Alienage hovel where Anso said his goods were stashed. What we found was nothing but more thugs and an empty chest.

Here's the interesting part. I'd hadn't yet seen Hawke angry. There was that brief flash of fear at the mention of _Prince_ Sebastian Vael, and I'd seen her mildly amused, sultry and flirtatious, and often just plain curious - but not even one hint of annoyance the entire day.

Until we left the hovel and were greeted, none to pleasantly, by a group of Tevinter Bounty Hunters.

Hawke's brow furrowed, her eyes narrowed and her lips thinned to a pretty pink slash.

"Uh oh, here it comes," said Carver.

I didn't have time to ask what he meant, because Hawke lifted her staff in the air, and suddenly it was raining fireballs. Her other hand made this scooping motion, and a second later the leader of the hunters was an ice statue. Carver wasted no time, either. He lifted that big sword of his and brought it crashing down on the woman's head in a thundering blow. One down, at least a dozen to go.

Now, you may think I'm a simple businessman and storyteller, but me and Bianca? Well, we like a fight as much as the next guy.

"Bianca baby, time to introduce yourself," I said and lifted my crossbow onto my shoulder. Hehe. Good times.

Being a dwarf, I can't exactly say I've worked with a lot of mages, but I would have expected Hawke to join me where I perched halfway up the alienage stairs. Instead, she was right down there in the mix with her brother, sending up walls of ice, calling on fire and lightning, and every once in awhile, doing this thing where she blasted her enemies with some invisible force that sent them flying in all directions. I also noticed, much to my relief, that she used some healing magic on herself and her brother several times. In my profession, a mage who can heal is worth their weight in gold, hehe.

Not much else of interest happened until the elf showed up, and as he descended the stairs, Hawke' eyes lit up and she bit her bottom lip, very delicately, mind you.

"Ooo! Exotic," she said, apparently ignoring the conversation between the elf and the slaver who had accosted us when we'd tried to leave the alienage.

All the talk was about how the elf was an escaped slave on the run, but I don't think Hawke was paying attention, because the next thing she said was, "That voice... so shivery!"

Then came the coup de gras, and I think she finally started paying attention. The elf lit up like a Wintersend tree, stuck his fist into the slaver's chest, and pulled out his heart. Andraste's ass - that would get anyone's attention.

Hawke, however, instead of being afraid or revolted, proceeded to have a casual conversation with the elf about hunting down and killing his former 'Master.' She agreed to meet him at some Hightown mansion before morning.

"Should we get Aveline?" asked Carver, as we began to loot the many dead slavers littering the alienage.

It was pretty funny to watch Hawke reach into pockets and search through packs, her lips pursed in this little mou, and her nose wrinkled in distaste, hehe. Apparently looting wasn't her thing.

"No," she replied to her brother. "Let's get Woofie, instead."

Turns out Woofie was Hawke's Mabari, and I have to admit, he turned out to be a much more lively companion that night that Aveline could have ever been.

The Hightown mansion where we were supposed to find the elf's Master, turned out to be full of demons, instead. Oh, the elf's name was Fenris, which I forgot to mention earlier. Just like the alienage hovel, we didn't find what we were looking for in the blighted place. Fortunately, we did come away with a nice haul of gold.

You'd have thought Hawke would have taken her payment and left, but instead, she turned on the full wattage of her charm and began to chat up the elf. There was some arguing about mages, during which Carver's face went into thundercloud mode, but he held his tongue and let his sister do the talking.

Like I've said, Hawke has this way about her that is completely entrancing, and apparently even has the ability to captivate moody, broody elven ex-slaves. After all his talk about the evils of mages and magic, she had him stammering and blushing and - get this - agreeing to work with her! I'm not kidding you, you can't make this shit up.

Carver was none too happy about it, let me tell you. All the way back to Lowtown he lectured her on how dangerous it was to involve herself with someone like Fenris.

Hawke just smiled at her brother. "It'll be fine, you'll see."

Was it fine? Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out, hehe.

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you for all the new Favorites and Follows! It really means so much! And also for the reviews, too. You know how much we all love those ;)**_

_**Again, thank you all - and feel free to make Varric happy by writing something is his little box ;)**_


	4. Chapter Three - Gather Ye Rosebuds

_A/N Sorry for the long delay!_

* * *

₪ **Chapter Three - Gather Ye Rosebuds, While Ye May ₪ **

✎ **The Curtain Rises**

_Starring: Hawke, Carver_

_Co-starring: Varric, Fenris_

_With appearances by: Merrill, Anders, Isabela _

_Not appearing in tonight's episode: Aveline (thankfully), & Sebastian (dammit)._

_And verily - there shall be only the vaguest references to quests..._

* * *

Other than Hawke's little trouble with royalty, you may be getting the mistaken impression that Hawke was without fault - and it's very nearly true, hehe. If you'd care to call them faults at all, you could say that Hawke's trouble was that nearly always got her own way, and she also had the unique disposition of thinking a little too well of herself. She was blithely unaware of these slight disadvantages, however, and probably would have considered them her best assets, if you'd asked her.

Speaking of asking her, I'd heard a rumor that Hawke was seen leaving that Hightown mansion the tattooed elf had himself holed-up in - and she left the mansion _alone_. I found that pretty much... interesting. So, when we'd finished planning our trip out to Sundermount for the next day, I cut to the chase, in order to satisfy my curiosity. I had Norah bring a few pints up to my rooms, hoping to put Hawke in chatty mood.

"You know, Hawke, Hightown is actually much more dangerous than Lowtown," I said by way of an opening.

She had this funny way of slanting her eyes at you without moving her head, which she did, and asked, "Is it? How so?"

"Lots of prey for the cutpurses in Hightown," I remarked casually. "Maybe it's not a good idea for you to be wandering around up there alone."

Hawke lips curved in barely a smile. "Spying on me, Varric?" she asked.

"Of course," I admitted. Sometimes you just have to play it out honestly, as weird as that seems. "You have officially fallen under the blanket of my concern." I gave her a gentlemanly nod.

"Between you and Aveline, I'll never have a moment's privacy," she complained as she rested her chin on her fist. Yet, her eyes were sparkling with mischief, so I knew it was safe to go on.

"It also might not be safe for you to be alone with that elf," I said, and made a show of inspecting my fingernails. "He seemed like quite the mage-hater."

"You're fishing," she said with a smile.

I raised my eyebrows and turned on the old Tethras charm. "Am I catching anything?"

She laughed, just as I'd hope, and replied, "Let's just say Fenris is _coming around._"

"Mhmm," I sounded noncommittally. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"Well," she said, and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Her eyes were positively dancing at this point. "He's promised to practice his _flattery_ for our next visit."

I nearly choked on my pint.

What can I say? The woman's charm knows no bounds.

✎ **Picking A Daisy**

Apparently, that amulet Flemeth gave Hawke was burning a hole in her pocket. I tried to convince her to follow up this lead I'd found on the Deep Roads maps, but she would have none of it. As I said, we planned our trip to Sundermount instead, and I was beginning to understand what Junior meant when he said his sister was stubborn.

Hawke's charms didn't work so well on the Dalish Elves, but she didn't seem to notice. Around the camp she went, chatting them all up, peeking into the books that were, for reasons unknown to me, lying around all over the place. You'd think they'd worry it would rain and ruin them or something.

Eventually, even though she had been told to go straight to the Keeper and instead had _inspected_ the Dalish camp, we met Marethari. The Keeper told Hawke a bunch of mysterious elvhen shit, before sending us up the mountain to find her _First_. In elven speak, that means assistant, hehe.

I'm just going to hit the highlights here, because most of it was a long, boring-ass day, filled with rocks and dirt and too much climbing for my short legs.

Merrill, who I took to calling Daisy because she was just as pretty as that lovely flower, was waiting for us. At first, Hawke seemed to hit it off with her, and they chatted amiably enough about taking the amulet up the mountain to some altar, where Daisy would perform an elven ritual on it. Merrill had lived in Ferelden, too, and they joked about how brown the dirt was, and other such nonsense. We fought a bunch of undead and demony things on our way up, but it was once we got to the graveyard at the top that things got tricky.

Hawke's frown started as soon as Daisy cut her wrist to dispel a magical barrier, which had prevented us from reaching the altar. Daisy started to explain that she knew what she was doing, that the spirit helped us, prattling on and on like she was talking about how to make soup or something.

But Hawke's frown? It just got deeper, until she finally said: "Call it what it is. You summoned a demon."

Yup, things went downhill from there.

Oh, and just so you know how uncanny things can be around Hawke? She found a deep mushroom on the top of a mountain. I'm not kidding. _Andraste's ass,_ those things are only supposed to grow in the Deep Roads!

But I digress.

I think the Fade practically emptied out of bad guys, from the number of nasties we fought just to reach the altar. Finally, however, the deed was done, and we were face to face with a figure out of legends.

Flemeth.

There was a lot of talk, and I'll admit, most of it made no sense to me. That woman, um dragon... whatever - liked to talk in riddles. But there was one thing she said I will never forget. It was just before we left.

"You saved my life, as I once saved yours," Flemeth told Hawke. Now get this, here's the part that had my jaw dropping. "An even trade, I think."

Flemeth, the Witch of the Wilds, the stuff of legends, who it was rumored could kill a man by fear alone, said that to Hawke! By the void, I don't think that Flemeth is even human - and yet she spoke of Hawke as an equal, whose life was worth as much as her own.

It was then that I knew my first instincts about Hawke had been right, and over the years it was proven to me again and again and again.

Daisy? We dropped her at the alienage, and I'm pretty sure Hawke would have left her there to rot, if not for me. Something about that little elf got to me, and I decided it was my job to keep tabs on her. That's me, I'm an altruist sort of dwarf, at least once in awhile, hehe.

✎ **Two For the Price of One**

Our little group was growing, and you'd think we were an odd enough bunch as it was. But let me tell you, things were about to get much, much weirder.

We tracked down this apostate, Anders was his name, who was running a clinic, in Darktown of all places. Word was he had in his possession some maps that we sorely needed to get our little expedition off the ground. So, off to Darktown we went.

Turned out the mage was blond, handsome, and there were two of him. That's right, this guy had a spirit living inside his head or something. Didn't I tell you it got weirder?

It was funny though, because Hawke didn't seem a bit put off by Anders' inhabited state of being.

"At least he got a handsome body," she told him, and I do believe she was standing a little bit closer to him than was actually polite. Still, by the end, Anders had fallen under Hawke's spell, too, and was teasing and flirting right back at her.

Funny thing was, Junior and the elf finally found something they could agree upon - let's hate the new guy. I could tell, though, that Carver was really worried about his sister doing something that would bring the attention of the Templars down on her. But Hawke, she wanted those maps, and it was obvious she was intrigued by the mage.

It turned out, this Anders guy, as much as he seemed to like her, wouldn't give Hawke what she wanted unless she helped him rescue some friend of his from the Gallows. Blah, blah, blah, and a bunch of Templars were dead. Yada, yada, yada and Hawke had our maps.

But since then? Blondie's been showing up at the Hanged Man an awful lot, and I'm pretty sure he's letting Hawke win at Wicked Grace on purpose.

✎ **Yo Ho Ho**

Pirates are fun. You wouldn't think so, what with all the pillaging and shit, but since Isabela joined our little conclave of misfits, I've decided it's the truth.

Isabela is a spitfire, exudes sex and is deadly with her daggers. What could be better? She's a dark-skinned beauty, who came from Rivain, so that's what I began to call her - Rivaini. Hawke helped her out of some jam she was in with some guy named Castillon, and Rivaini was very, very grateful. Eh em. Yes, like that. Though Hawke didn't take her up on it, I saw the sparks flying between those two. Of course, the sparks are always flying around Hawke - mostly from her fingertips, hehe.

And for the record? Junior finally earned Bartrand's nickname of _Precious,_ whenever he was around Isabela. She had this way of making him all tongue-tied and nervous. Entertainment of the highest variety my friends, I assure you.

Oh, and you might want to remember the name of Castillon, and that there was some sort of missing relic involved in the whole mess. Important stuff, but that's for later...

At this point in Hawke's story, there were seven of us prowling the streets of Kirkwall, and playing cards every night at the Hanged Man. Like I said, there would have only been six if it were up to Hawke, but I kept bringing Daisy along, and luckily Isabela took a real shine to her, too.

So, that about wraps up how we all came together, in case you were interested. From here on out, there's a lot of fun and mayhem. I hope you'll stay tuned, hehe.


	5. Chapter Four - All This Happened

₪ **Chapter Four: All This Happened, More or Less ₪ **

✎ **Sibling Rivalry**

It turned out Hawke was pretty good at gathering gold. Over the next few weeks, she took on more jobs than than a nug has fleas. And let me tell you they weren't the kind of jobs you'd expect an apostate to find, much less successfully complete. Let's just say our Hawke had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. And her habit of of chatting up every other person who crossed her path probably didn't hurt either, hehe.

The funny part is, that I think even more than her charm and her sex appeal, it was her insatiable curiosity that served her so well. She wanted to know everything, about everyone she met, and there wasn't a bashful bone in her body. After just a few weeks in her company, I have to admit I was as charmed as everyone else. Enchanted, even.

Junior, well, he was having a hard time of it, and for more than one reason. I think it was difficult enough for him that both Blondie and Rivaini were clearly smitten with Hawke, especially when I think Carver had an interest in Isabela, himself. Poor guy, she teased him mercilessly, always ribbing him about his youth and inexperience, but never giving him the slightest encouragement for anything more... intimate.

But if you ask me, the most difficult thing for Little Hawke was that Lady Hawke brought the elf with us wherever we went. Well, she took me along just as much, but for some reason that didn't seem to bother him.

I overheard this little piece of conversation on our way to deliver a shawl to one of the... _ladies_ at the Blooming Rose, and for once, Fenris wasn't with us.

"Where's your lackey?" Carver asked his sister, in a tone that could only be called snide.

Hawke had been humming as we passed the market stalls in Hightown, craning her neck every time something caught her interest. "What are you talking about, Carver?"

"You know," he said. "That tattooed elf who's practically glued to your hip these days."

By this time, we were passing the door the to the once grand Amell Estate. Hawke stopped, and began to tug at the withered ivy clinging to the stone around the door. "Are you talking about Fenris?" she asked casually. So far, she hadn't taken Junior's bate.

"Of course I'm talking about the bloody elf," Carver said, his voice rising in anger. "Who else did you think I meant?"

Hawke's voice, in contrast, was deceptively calm. "I don't consider my friends _lackeys_, Carver, but you could have meant Anders, Merrill, Aveline, Isabela..." she said all their names in this sing-songy voice, as if she were reciting a nursery rhyme. Hawke looked at me then, and smiled. "And Varric is right here, so you couldn't mean him."

Carver grunted in disgust. "Except for the dwarf," he said, gesturing at me with his open hand, "you don't bring any of your other _friends_ along every single place we go."

Hawke turned to her brother, her hands full of brown leaves. She looked up, as if considering his statement, and then replied, "I don't suppose I do." I nearly lost it when Hawke looked around the courtyard, as if she were intently search for something, before she looked back at Carver and said. "And I don't see him around anywhere at the moment."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it, Sister," he said bitterly.

It was my opinion that the boy needed to stop worrying about his sister, and concentrate on getting his own attitude adjusted, but for now, I stayed out of it. They were much too entertaining to interrupt them.

"Actually Brother, I have no idea what you're trying to say." She pressed the dead leaves into Carver's hands. "Why don't you try again?"

Carver stared down at the papery brown mess in his hands in disbelief, before he tossed it all onto the ground. "Isn't my sword not good enough for you?" he asked her.

Hawke stood on her tiptoes and peered behind Carver's back. "It's a fine sword," she said, and smiled at him sweetly.

"Then why do you..." Carver began, but Hawke lifted her hand and mussed his short crop of black hair.

"Darling Brother," she said. "Don't you know two swords are always better than one?"

And with that, humming a tune under her breath, she continued along on our journey to the Rose.

Carver shook his head. "I never win, but I can't stay mad at her," he grumbled.

I think I may be a little bit smitten myself.

✎ **Where Everybody Knows Your Name**

A lot of what we've did to earn coin were what Hawke called our do-gooder jobs, and I'm pretty sure they were her favorite, though she never let on. We saved a half elven boy named Feynriel from a bunch of slavers, rescued a young elven girl named Lia from a twisted murderer, and even managed to help out a Templar called Keran, after he'd been kidnapped by a bunch of blood mages. You should have seen Hawke's eyes light up when that bare-chested Tempar recruit dropped to the floor after she released him from some weird magical thing. Junior is worried that his sister has taken much too keen an interest in Templars, because Hawke also had a nice long chat with Knight Captain Cullen. I think Carver was afraid they'd be arrested on the spot, but instead, Hawke convinced Cullen to keep the young man around, to "keep an eye on him."

Hawke's just as magical with her words as she is with her staff.

Hawke kept us all pretty much busy earning coin for the expedition, but there was still plenty of time for drinking and playing cards at the Hanged Man, hehe.

I remember this one night in particular. We had spent all day traipsing around the coast, killing Qunari on hire for this dwarf, Jarvis. He was a weasely son of a bitch, let me tell you. The whole thing had left a bad taste in Hawke's mouth, because it had most assuredly been mercenary work - definitely not do-gooder stuff, there.

Hawke rented a bath from Corff, because she said there was just no privacy at her Uncle Gamlen's, and in that tiny hovel, no way I could argue with her. The rest of us, and I mean all of our rag-tag group, had already claimed a table and were deep into our pints and a game of Wicked Grace. Rivaini was teaching Daisy the fine art of cheating at cards, and Anders was losing mightily, as usual.

When Hawke finally joined us, there was the usual commotion. Anders offered her his seat, Rivaini slid a pint across the table at her, and the elf brooded as always. I saw Hawke shoot an annoyed glance at Daisy, before her face resumed its typical amused expression.

"So, Brother," Hawke said with this wicked little grin on her face. "A letter came for you today." She paused and pulled a parchment from her pocket. "From Lothering."

Carver reached out his hand for it, a worried look on his face.

"Oh, no no," Hawke told him, and she pressed the letter to her chest. "This is too good not to share."

"Sister, don't you dare," Carver said and rose from his seat.

I think he intended to snatch it from her, but Hawke quickly stood and maneuvered herself behind the elf. I bet you can guess what happened next. Hawke began to read.

_My darling Carver,_

_I miss you so much! When are you coming back to Ferelden? The Blight is over and the darkspawn are gone! There's nothing to be afraid of... not that you'd ever be afraid, bravest-man-I've-ever-known!_

_We're not going back to Lothering. I hear the land is poisoned or something. Father is raising money for a new farm in the Bannorn. I don't know when that'll happen, but he's working very hard. We're living with my aunt in Denerim, so please send your letters there._

All during Hawke's recital, Carver was trying to get to her, or get to the letter is more likely. Hawke, however, kept dancing around the table, putting one of us between her and her brother. Of course, we all helped Hawke out, with perfectly placed feet to tangle Junior's legs, or the slide of a chair to block his way. By this time his face was as red as a beet, and Hawke could hardly read she was laughing so hard.

_Why haven't you been writing, Carver? Did you find another girl in the Free Marches? Remember: no girl will ever do what I did for you behind Barlin's shed that time. You just think about that!_

_Write me soon! I love you!_

_Peaches_

{Revenge is so sweet - H}

"Ooo!" said Rivaini, once Hawke had finished. "Care to share?"

"No!" bellowed Carver, and Hawke finally relented and gave him the letter. He stalked out of the bar in a hurry, and we didn't see him again that night. Rivaini though, she watched him go, with a particular kind of gleam in her eye.

"Your brother is very tall, isn't he?" Rivaini asked Hawke in a speculative tone.

Hawke was still laughing, but managed to reply. "Very tall, yes." She walked over to Isabela and put a friendly arm around her shoulders, before whispering something into her ear.

Isabela eyes went wide, and her boisterous laughter filled the room.

"What?" I asked. "No fair, Hawke. Curious minds want to know."

Hawke only shook her head in that way she has, and said, "Some things are just between us girls."

I wasn't worried, though. I knew Rivaini would spill it to me later. That woman cannot keep a secret, hehe.


	6. Chapter Five - Her Infinite Variety

**₪ Chapter Five: Her Infinite Variety ₪**

**_✎ A Mage of Many Talents_**

I know I mentioned before how Hawke likes to get in the mix of things when we're in a fight. The first time I noticed it was the night we met Fenris, when I saw how she and Carver fought together. Hawke is no range fighter, not in the slightest.

So, it wasn't really a surprise to me when she started using a new trick - throw up a wall of ice, freeze her enemies, and then beat them with her staff. I know I haven't been around a lot of mages, but for all her sweetness and charm, I'm beginning to wonder if Hawke doesn't have an issue with suppressed aggression, hehe.

But I digress...

I never finished telling you about our experiences with that dwarf, Javaris. The one we killed all those Tal-Vashoth for? Yeah, that one. Well, we'd made arrangements to meet him at the Qunari compound, and Hawke was practically glowing, so excited was she to get a glimpse of the horned oxmen, as that dwarf had called them.

The weird thing was, she couldn't convince Rivaini to go with us. Up to that point? I'd never heard anyone deny Hawke anything. Well, except for maybe Carver.

We were in the bar at the Hanged Man, and the conversation went something like this:

"You know I'd do anything for you, sweet thing," Isabela told her. "But I promised Martin I'd look into a cargo theft for him."

"Come with me, and then I'll help you out with Marvin," Hawke said. "Problem solved."

"It's _Martin_, not Marvin," Isabela corrected. "Listen, I really wish I could." Rivaini backed up slowly, working her way toward the steps. "Another time, maybe."

"Would you do it for a kiss?" asked Hawke, and she tilted her head in that way she had, and batted her eyelashes in a very exaggerated manner. I don't know how she got away with that shit without looking ridiculous, but she did.

Isabela froze for a second, as if kissing Hawke might be temptation enough for her to break her promise to Martin, but then a look of near panic came over her face, and with a little shake of her head, she raced upstairs and was gone.

Hawke stared after Rivaini with wide eyes. "She's been begging me for a kiss for months," Hawke said to me. "What's going on, Varric?"

I was a bit dumbfounded myself, so it took me a minute to answer her. "You got me, Hawke. I would have bet every coin I had that Rivaini would never turn down that offer."

Hawke was prevented from further comment on the matter when the elf came in through the door. She pouted at him prettily. "Fenris, will you come with me to the Qunari compound?" she asked.

He glanced around the bar, as if looking for someone, before he turned back to her and said, "As you wish."

Hawke laughed. She obviously understood the elf much better than I did.

"No, Carver's not with me today," she told Fenris. "He's out looking for more work to fund the Deep Roads expedition."

The elf's lips quirked. Not really a smile, but for him? It was something.

It turned out that Fenris knew a bit of Qunari-speak, which actually impressed the Arishok. Let me tell you, that is one big oxman. They're all huge, especially to somebody like me, hehe. But the Arishok stood taller than the rest, by at least a head. Or a set of horns. Or something.

I told you that Javaris was weasley, and I was right. Turned out there was no deal for any explosive powder. In the Arishok's words, he "invented the task." I swear I could see a little thunder cloud forming over Hawke's head as Fenris and the Arishok spoke.

I was getting a little bit worried that Hawke's building anger would get us into more trouble than we could handle, until Fenris said, "We have wrongly inserted ourselves in your affairs. Would you have us kill this dwarf?"

Suddenly, Hawke burst into laughter. "Yes, Ashishok," she agreed once she'd caught her breath. "We'd be happy to take care of that for you."

The Arishok just frowned at her, and Javaris stammered and stuttered and began to back away. I don't know if Hawke would have actually killed him or not, because the Arishok, at that point, told us all to leave. Even Hawke didn't want to argue with that guy, and she didn't attempt to charm the Qunari either, which just goes to show how smart she is, hehe.

We'd turned to follow Javaris from the compound, when I heard the Arishok mutter to one of his sentries, "We have a purpose, but when it is done, do we leave Kirkwall like this?"

The way Hawke quickly turned her head and looked down at me, I knew she'd heard him, too.

I had a strong suspicion that our Qunari troubles were just beginning.

_**✎ All In a Day's Work**_

The jobs just kept piling up, even though Hawke had left junior to find them. Truthfully, I didn't think the kid had it in him, but nearly every day Hawke would show up at the Hanged Man, a sheaf of parchment in her hand.

"What do you think, Varric?" she would ask, and I'd dutifully sort through them and choose the jobs most likely to bring us the coin we need for the expedition. I tried to steer her away from any that would bring us in contact with Templars, but somehow, we'd end up in the Gallows anyway.

After we'd saved Feynriel from those slavers, we'd handed him over to a gentleman-like Templar name Thrask. Hawke took an instant shine to the man, and he ever so kindly ignored the staff she wore on her back. Now and then, we'd take the skiff across the bay to the Gallows, and she'd visit with Ser Thrask. I ask Carver about it later, just why his sister was risking the Gallows so often, when there was nothing to prevent her from being hauled away by some big brute in his shiny silver armor.

Carver looked pensive for a minute. I'm not shitting you, there was a thoughtful look on his face for maybe a full minute. Finally, he said, "I think it might be because Thrask reminds my sister of Father." He shook his head and his usually petulant look returned. "Except for the red hair, of course. Father's hair was dark, like mine."

Maybe it didn't hurt that Thrask had just lost his daughter to a demon, even though I blame the slavers for that bit of tragedy.

Yes, Hawke certainly had a way about her - able to charm those who by rights should have locked her up and thrown away the key. Thrask even asked for her help in saving the lives of a bunch of escaped mages. That one nearly ended in a bloodbath, let me tell you. I might have been surprised when she handed those Starkhaven mages over to Thrask, instead of setting them free, except for our experience with Daisy. Hawke had no tolerance for blood magic, so if you ask me, Grace and her lot were lucky Hawke hadn't killed them all. With ice. And the end of her staff, hehe.

It was on one of those visits to the Gallows that Hawke happened to wander over to the market, where tranquil circle mages sold their magical wares. I'm not complaining, because once again, Hawke's curiosity ended up earning us quite a nice profit. Solivitus took one look at her, and offered us quite the tidy little business deal. Find him a few herbs, and he'd pay good coin,

To make a long story short, we'd also recently acquired another job, this one to investigate some problem at the Bone Pit - a mine owned and operated by a Hightown merchant named Herbert. Here's the interesting part - Hubert was one of the very few people we'd met that Hawke took an instant dislike to. It probably didn't help his case that he started out by insulting Fereldens, but I'd seen the look in her eyes before the man even opened his mouth. The sunshine was gone from them, replaced by a look of wary expectation.

Again, the coin was good so we took the job, if reluctantly. The part I personally didn't like was that we would spend the day out traipsing around in nature. Not my favorite thing to do, you understand. I'm a city dwarf, and I assure you, that will never change.

Keeping with her "two swords are better than one" philosophy, Hawke brought Carver and Fenris along, which made neither one of them happy. Yet, neither one said _no_ to her either, did they?

As it turned out, in the course of one day, I saw my first ogre... and my first dragon. You heard me right - dragon. Never thought I'd see one of those. Well, except for Flemeth, but she didn't count, being a witch and all.

By the time we got back from our little jaunt into the coastal wilds, we were all covered in so much dragon blood and darkspawn ichor, it was disgusting. Hawke kept glancing down at herself and frowning, which would have been pretty funny if I hadn't been doing the same thing.

When she headed for the Hanged Man instead of Gamlen's house, Carver pulled up short.

"Where do you think you're going, sister?" he asked, and rather rudely if you ask me.

"I need a drink," she replied, and kept on walking.

Carver grabbed her arm. "You're not going in there like that," he said.

It was then that I noticed something I'd missed, because now Hawke had her back to me. There was a long slice down the fabric of her robe in the back, which left quite a bit of skin exposed, all the way down to... eh em... her smalls.

"Let go, Carver," she said, and tried to yank away from him, but he didn't let go. "It's just a little rip, no big deal."

"Forget it, Sister," he said. "Not this time."

And, to my complete astonishment, Carver grabbed her, threw her bodily over his shoulder, and began to march toward their shared hovel.

"Carver!" Hawke shouted. "How dare you!" And I could see little sparks flying off him, as Hawke used her magic trying to get free.

I don't know how he did it, but the man kept walking, though he would stagger now and then, probably from electrical shock, hehe. I'll give him this at least, junior Hawke had some amazing stamina. I've seen Hawke's electricity spell take down three men in one fell swoop.

I looked over at the elf, who had an impressive scowl on his face, but he hadn't said a word.

"Buy you a pint?" I offered.

Fenris shook his head briefly, as if to clear it, then looked down at me and said, "Yes."

After that little incident, it was almost a week before I saw Carver again, and when I did, there was a suspicious fading bruise under his left eye, like someone had punched him.

I wonder who could have done that?

{Yes, I do wonder who? - H}

* * *

_**A/N Thank you so much to HikariYagami22 for the awesome beta :)**_

_**I'm sorry for the long delay in updating. I've been busy with a few other stories, and Varric hasn't been in the mood to talk - can you believe it? Silly dwarf ;)**_

_** Hopefully now I'll be back on a regular schedule, updating every week or two. Thanks for your patience!**_


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